


I'd Recognize You Anywhere

by LouIsA_Lesbian



Series: Hopewing & Blaze [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Awkward Tension, Domestic Fluff, Enemies With Benefits, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Healthy Relationships, Hero/Villain, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Character of Color, Lesbian Wives, Maxine Has Two Hands, Not edited yet, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Unhealthy Relationships, Vanessa Is A Sly Little Shit, Wives, awkward dinner, cheating (kind of), happy wives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:55:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29141859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LouIsA_Lesbian/pseuds/LouIsA_Lesbian
Summary: “Oh my god. Are you Jules? The mannequin?”The redhead turned her head, a wide professional smile painting her lips and getting ready to back in some well-deserved admiration for one of her fans when-Vanessa?!“Oh. Hi! Yes, it’s me, Jules. Who are you?”“I’m Vanessa! Really sorry for bothering you, I couldn’t help myself when I saw you.”Vanessa had, surprisingly, recognized Jules in a café. The opportunity was too great to pass - after all, it wasn't as if Vanessa knew who Jules was. It was the perfect opportunity to fuck a bit with Maxine, keep her on her toes.She should have known it would backfire.
Relationships: Jules (Blaze) & Vanessa, Maxine (Hopewing)/Jules (Blaze), Maxine (Hopewing)/Vanessa
Series: Hopewing & Blaze [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138862
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	1. Meeting The Fan

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!! I'm back again with this chaotic trio. It takes place in the same universe as I Want To Fucking Tear You Apart (FTYA), but not in a direct continuity. You don't have to have read the first installment to understand what's going on, but it would be best if you did to understand the kind of dynamics which are at play here.  
> This story is happening after FTYA, maybe some months after, I don't know for sure yet.
> 
> But today, it's time to meet: Vanessa!! She's one of my favorite character for now, and I can't wait for you to meet her. I can only hope you'll love her as much as I do. She's been Maxine's wife for longer than Max & Jules's liaison and is a deeply caring and sweet person, but don't kid yourself, she's not defenceless.
> 
> Enough babbling, enjoy the story!! - Lou

“Oh my god. Are you Jules? The mannequin?”

The redhead turned her head, a wide professional smile painting her lips and getting ready to back in some well-deserved admiration for one of her fans when-

_Vanessa?!_

“Oh. Hi! Yes, it’s me, Jules. Who are you?”

Still maintaining her façade as open as she was used to when meeting fans, she felt her eye tick with how stunted her answer was. Fortunately, the other woman didn’t seem to have noticed her embarrassment.

“I’m Vanessa! Really sorry for bothering you, I couldn’t help myself when I saw you.”

“No, that’s ok, I’m always happy to meet new fans. I wasn’t doing much to be honest, I should even thank you for rescuing me from a boring document.”

Well, it wasn’t a boring document _per say_ , but dealing with paperwork after one of her rampages never was what she would have chosen to spend her time in her leisure time. She closed her computer and decided to let herself be surprised by this unconventional meeting.

“Do you want to sit with me for a moment? I have some free time ahead of me, let me buy you a drink.”

“Are you sure? I really don’t want to keep you from your work, it seemed important.”

“Please, it would be my pleasure.”

“Well…” the other woman said slowly, drawing the vowel out. “If it’s a _pleasure_ …”

“It really is. Please, sit and tell me what you came to drink so I can offer my proper thanks for the rescue of my joy.”

“What a flirt you are!” the brunette laughed, putting her bag down and sitting in front of her. “I came to take my usual but with such a surprising company, I’d love to see what you think I would like.”

 _What in the… Fine._ It was only thanks to her many years of experience of manipulating others that she kept her smile natural, when she was feeling more and more annoyed by the second. She stood and went to the counter, thinking hard about what she should do. Should she try and find something she’d love, or find something she’d hate? She could also try finding what _her usual_ was. _Why do I even care, just order something!_

She spewed the first thing that came to her mind to the barista and waited for the order to be done, her nails tapping on the countertop. She barista looked at her in annoyance but said nothing, focusing on the extravagant drink, and Jules had to remind herself that she was _not_ to cause a scene over something so petty and insignificant. Especially when her enemy’s wife was waiting to talk to her, and that she apparently recognized _her_ and not _her alter-ego_. It was a one-of-a-kind opportunity, and she would _not_ spoil it because of her short temper.

The redhead allowed herself to keep an eye on Vanessa using the thin mirror above the workstation. The other woman was typing unhurriedly on her phone, seemingly relaxed and quite happy, a light flush high on her golden cheeks. She didn’t look like she was trying to warn Maxine about meeting a supervillain, so… Maybe she really was clueless, and maybe Jules was too used of being on high alert.

“Here’s your fancy drink” a bored voice announced, tearing her from her examination. “Just a fair warning, the lady’s already married, don’t get your hopes high.”

“Keep your unwanted advice for someone who cares,” Jules hissed behind gritted teeth, looking exactly like she was trying to kill the barista only with her eyes.

“Hey, just giving you a head’s up, no need to be so-!”

“I said. Keep your advice for someone who cares.”

Her voice was ice cold and her mouth was contorting into a snarl. To enforce her point, she took a handful of spoons and crushed them together, her hand glowing red and melting the metal. When she let it go, it hit the countertop with a little “clang”, all the spoons now deformed and stuck with the others in a barely recognizable shape. The barista had blanched and taken a step back, looking exactly as deeply afraid as he should have been from the beginning. Satisfied, she took the hot drink and went back to the table, not looking back to see what he was deciding to do. He was irrelevant, hardly noticeable on her radar, and she was on an important mission.

“There!” she pleasantly told Vanessa, placing the drink in front of her. “I do hope my choice surprises you.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t have!” She put her phone away and examined the drink. If her eyes were truthful, she had been gifted the most expensive drink in the whole café, with whipped cream and chocolate chips and caramel and a fragrant coffee smell with four layers of hot liquid visible through the clear class. “I guess you can afford it, though, so I’ll just say that, firstly, I am very surprised, congratulations, and that secondly it looks delicious, so, thank you.”

She plunged a spoon into the gigantic sweet drink and tasted the cream, making a pleased sound at the back of her throat, before getting her attention back on Jules. The redhead was looking pleased with herself and drinking her fancy grilled rice tea in tandem.

“So, Vanessa, tell me more about yourself. I’d love to know why you’re one of the few people who would recognize me in this kind of setting.”

“Oh, you know, it was actually through my wife that I came to know you. She was obsessed with you, would buy every of your magazine; if you were to appear in anything, a show, a book, a YouTube video, you could be sure she’d watch or read it with the utmost interest. You know, it’s quite funny when I think about it,” she giggled, putting a strand of hair back behind her hear. “I kept thinking that I should feel jealous, sometimes, because she was looking at your pictures almost feverishly. But after a little while, I looked you and your career up, and I kind of began understanding why she was being so moved by you?” Bashful, she looked down at her glass and began towing with the stem of the fancy cup. “I mean, you might be used to hearing that but you’re very, very gorgeous, and the sets you’re made to wear for the shoots are wonderful too. So, I decided that instead of being jealous and resenting her, I would embrace her obsession, which is how I began buying some of the sets you’re wearing. And I don’t remember when it was that you started modelling, but it’s been a while now, which is how I was able to recognize you.”

When no answer was coming, Vanessa risked taking a look at Jules, trying to gauge her reaction. The redhead was looking at her, absolutely dumbfounded. She was gaping, her eyes were wide and slowly blinking, and she was so still someone could have thought she was a statue.

“I’m so sorry, it was out of line and way too much information. I think it might be best if I let you.”

“No- no that’s. That’s ok. I did ask, and I know what kind of answers I’m getting when I ask.”

She blinked hard, eyes still a little far away, and she took a slow sip of her tea to regain her footing. Drinking the what-should-have-been-way-too-hot liquid seemed to help her, and when she looked at the brunette’s worried face, she just couldn’t help it. She began to laugh. Vanessa did not relax – on the contrary, her concerned frown only intensified, and after a few seconds Jules could feel her laughter recede. Chuckling, she passed a hand over her face, mindful of her makeup, regaining her countenance.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting something so franc and candid, you just surprised me.”

“I… didn’t make you uncomfortable, did I?”

“No, don’t worry, I’m ok” she told her with her best reassuring smile. “When a pretty woman like you is giving me such intense compliments, I always need a bit of time to digest them.”

It was Vanessa’s time to be silent and quite surprised, but Jules was not worried. She didn’t need her to like her, on the contrary; if Vanessa came to distrust her, she could use that to her advantage. It was just fun to try and make _her_ uncomfortable, flirting with her while explicitly knowing she was married.

The brunette snorted.

“You _flirt_.”

“Can’t say that I’m not, lying is a sin.”

“What would you say about coming to dine at my house, to meet my wife? Not that it’s a sex proposition!” she quickly added, seeing a neat highbrow rising high on the other side of the table. “It’s that our anniversary is in a few days, and I’d love to out-gift my wife. Keep her on her toes, and she would love it, having you for dinner. I’m sure it’s quite unusual for you to be seriously asked that, no hidden sex proposition underneath this dinner offer, and that’s ok if you’d rather not, I absolutely would understand.”

She stopped herself when Jules put a hand up, cutting the onslaught of words and giving her a short time to think about it. On the one hand, going to Vanessa’s and, most importantly, _Maxine’s_ house was a bad idea. Maybe one of the worst ideas she had ever had. She would risk blowing her cover at every step, and there was no telling how Maxine would react when she would see her in her living room, talking with her wife around some appetizer. There was a high probability she would freak out, let the truth explode, and that they’d fight in the middle of the kitchen, Vanessa becoming a collateral damage. And, as much as she didn’t really care about the woman, she’d rather have her die in a more dramatic and useful manner than because she was standing too close to her when her powers would become too much to handle.

But, on the other hand… It was a one-of-a-kind opportunity. She was willingly invited into Maxine’s home, and asked to chat and eat with her for a whole evening. And she knew it would be torture; being that close to her nemesis and not being able to touch her, to make her bleed and to make her cry, it would drive them both mad. But, of course, it wasn’t _really_ a dilemma.

“Just tell me where and when I should come”, she asked with a smile full of teeth, her eyes gleaming with a dangerous light. “I’d be _delighted_ to meet your wife.”


	2. Meeting the Wife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maxine comes home to find Jules in her living room, chatting with Vanessa.  
> She freaks out, but Vanessa is her soulmate for a reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to go directly to the dinner but I love Vanessa and Maxine too much, I needed them to be so sweet it rots your teeth. They love each others SO MUCH it's not fair, I love them.  
> Enjoy this chapter!!!

Maxine was so, _so_ tired. The only thing that had allowed her to finish her workday was the hope of spending a quiet and relaxing evening with Vanessa. She had been dreaming of candlelight, a glass of sweet wine, a tray full of things they could nibble on, and a pair of strong hands on her back to make the pain disappear.

“Darling, look who I convinced to come have dinner with us tonight!”

Instead, she had found Jules in her living room.

She had frozen, every muscle in her body tensing and locking her where she stood. Her adrenaline levels went up and she was left torn between the two extremes of her fight or flight response. What was Blaze playing at? How did she manage tricking Vanessa into spending the evening with her? What were her goals? _How was she going to be able to protect her wife?_

“Hello, you must be Vanessa’s wife, Maxine”, Jules greeted politely with a soft smile. “I’m pleased to meet you.”

“I- Vanessa, what?”

Already she could feel her heartbeat go faster and her mind clearing, her whole body readying itself for a fight. Her eyes were focused on Jules, tracking each of her movement. _She wouldn’t let her lay a single hand on her wife._

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Vanessa answered, clapping in her hands, beaming. “I met Jules at the café a few blocks away and I told how you love her work, and she agreed to come so you could meet her! Isn’t it kind of her?”

“What do you mean I’m a fan of her work?!”

“Her… modelling work? Don’t you recognize her, darling?” Vanessa’s face lost a bit of her happy glow, a dash of anxiety souring her smile. “Are you… Are you ok, Max?”

Outwardly, there was no trace of anything on Jules’s face except a reserved and polite kind of professional façade. The thing was, Maxine knew her enemy, and she knew just how to read her. And, deep in her eyes, so dim and so tightly kept under lock so nothing could shine bright enough a novice would be able to notice it, there was a gleeful spark. She was panicking, losing her footing, and beginning to drown in all-powerful emotions, and Jules was having _thriving_ watching her.

Alright. She could begin to trace the outlines of the rules that would apply this evening. Just the three of them, two civilians who didn’t know each other yet and who were to learn knowing the other. They were going to need to keep the fact that they did know each other, and knew each other _very_ intimately, high and low, powerful and one step from death, clothed and sweaty, from her own wife. She could do it; it was not as if she had the choice. What could possibly go wrong?

“Yes, sorry, of course. Jules, the mannequin. You’ll have to excuse me, I’ve had a long day at work”, she ended up saying, praying for the levity in her voice not to sound too forced. Even she could hear the way her speech was robotic, and she fought not to visibly cringe. “I’m honoured to meet you.”

The words were leaving a foul taste in her mouth and, judging from the maniac eyes of the woman in front of her, she’d end up regretting them sooner than later.

“I need to get take a shower and change my clothes before I can join you, I won’t be long. Nessa, can you come with me for a bit?”

“Oh, I don’t know if it’s the polite thing to do, leaving our guest alone-”

“Don’t worry about me, Vanessa”, the redhead objected with a light movement of her hand, as if to chase her worries away. “I can occupy myself for a few minutes.”

Knowing her wife and needing to talk to her before this debacle could really begin, she took her hand and gently led her to their bedroom. When the door closed behind them, Maxine pulled her into a hug and put her nose into her hair, closing her eyes and letting her senses fill with Vanessa. No more work, no more powers, no more pains, no more violence, no more Jules. Only Vanessa.

Her wife’s arms squeezed her, just tight enough so it would have begun making her bones creak if she didn’t have her super strength, tight like she needed and loved.

“Hi”, Vanessa said softly, hooking her chin on her shoulder and gently rocking them from left to right. “Are you alright, darling?”

Maxine hummed but otherwise didn’t answer, letting her mind settle in this peaceful haven. Vanessa’s arms were her favourite place on Earth and always had been. Here, nothing could ever happen to either of them, except love and care. They were safe, they were here, together, and they were in love. Everything was fine. And as long as they had and loved each other nothing bad would happen.

“Love, would you mind if we sat? The bed is just over there. We can touch all your fill.”

“Mmh, that’s ok, I’m already better” Maxine mumbled, rubbing her nose on her head.

“You know,” she began, chuckling, “you really make me think about a big snuggly puppy when you do that. Kind of ironic, don’t you think?”

Maxine whined her disagreement and sank her face deeper into Vanessa’s hair to make her laugh, sighing when her wife squeezed her a bit tighter before stopping, simply holding her.

“Are you ok, Max?”

“Yeah, sorry. You know how I get about surprises, sometimes.”

“I know, love, sorry about that. But I couldn’t not surprise you with that, could I? You would have told me to cancel this dinner, or straight up wouldn’t have come home. And I couldn’t let you slip through this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; I wouldn’t be the greatest wife you know if I did.”

“You know you’re my first wife, Nessa.”

“All the more reasons to be the bestestest you could ever know, don’t you think?”

Maxine snorted and took half a step back, letting her arms hang on Vanessa’s shoulders while the other’s arms stayed on her hips, her thumbs slowly drawing shiver-worthy circles on her skin. Her wife’s smile was warm and was making her stomach turn into a thousand butterflies, but her eyes were still worried.

“I know surprises stress you out, but I didn’t think it would affect you that much. I’m sorry, darling.”

“That’s ok”, she reassured her other half, kissing her briefly. “You couldn’t have known. Thank you for doing that for me.”

“I know how much she means to you, and I wanted to meet her, and I wanted you to meet her, you know? She’s such a big part of your life, it was the perfect opportunity.”

Maxine couldn’t hide the way she went rigid, going from relaxed to tense in half a second. She knew Vanessa couldn’t know, would never have invited Jules if she did know. She wouldn’t have invited a known murderer in her own house if she did, her own wife’s nemesis furthermore. But she also knew her wife, and she could sometime be a sly little shit; when she was being one, she didn’t have many tells. But this phrasing, this voice…?

“Max? Come back to me, love. Oh dear, if it’s stressing you out that much, maybe I should tell Jules we need to reschedule. I’d rather have her out and you relaxed than you needing to zone out to cope.”

“No, no, I’m ok, I’m just tired, ‘tis all.”

“Are you sure? You know you just have to say the words and we’ll only be the both of us. No need to tire yourself to please me.”

Just like that, she felt herself relax. Of course, Vanessa didn’t know; she had done everything to keep her as far away from the super-heroing world as humanely possible. Blaze was masked, she never really spoke about Jules to her wife because she didn’t want to slip up or worry her even more. There was absolutely no reason why she would know Jules was Blaze. It was only Vanessa, her tether, her best friend, her soulmate. They were safe, and she would make sure they would stay that way.

Maxine smiled and pulled her wife close to her once more, savouring these last moments of peace, savouring this calm before needing to face the storm downstairs, waiting for them, bidding its time.

“I’m great, really. You should go back entertain her; we wouldn’t want an international star going bored in our living room.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to do just that as soon as you let me go, love.”

“Mh, no, I don’t think I will, I’m just going to keep you here and never let you go.”

“You brute!”, she admonished with excessive outrage, making Maxine snort. “Let me go or we won’t eat tonight!”

“Letting go, letting go!”

They laughed and, after a last kiss that went on for a beat too long, neither of them wanting to pull away but knowing they had to, they finally managed putting more than a foot of space between them. Two of their hands lingered, drawing the contact out, giving the other all the comfort and tenderness she could need.

“I’m good, don’t worry. Just go back downstairs and I’ll be there in 10.”

“You’d rather. I won’t have you spend the night in our room when we’re going to have such a fun night.”

One last squeeze to Maxine’s hand and Vanessa left the room, going back to entertaining their guest. Maxine watched her go for longer than she could see her, listening to the sounds of her footsteps and the voices of both women she was involved with mingle happily.

Biting back her groan not to be heard, she pressed her hands into her face for a few seconds, getting her footing back, before straightening herself and rolling her shoulders, the exact same was she was doing before each battle she was fighting.

Everything was going to be fine. She’d make sure of it. And when everything would be done, and Jules was back at her lair, she was going to _make her pay_ ever coming close to her wife.

But first, a shower.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to leave a comment, or at least a kudo so I know you came by! Have a good day ❤️


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